The Painted Wolf
by Goldberry
Summary: The red wheels of the Sharingan were spinning. [Oneshot, Drabble Collection] [NejiTen, Het Pairings]
1. The Painted Wolf

Disclaimer: Nope, I got nothing.

Author's Notes: My first attempt at something Naruto. I must say this is somewhat of a poem, just not in poetry form. Very short. Could turn into a series of vignettes. Definitely Sasuke/Sakura orientated.

Be warned, spoilers for episode 33.

The Painted Wolf

The red wheels of the Sharingan were spinning.

And a man's arms snapped, a hoarse cry, a splash of blood.

A tear.

A flower unfolded, drooping, reaching for darkness when it could have had sunlight, calling outwards, its sweet voice the sound of hearts breaking. Petals curled and trapped a wolf. A painted wolf. A black wolf.

One red eye caught her. A plea inside a teardrop.

A canvas was cleaned, discarded. Done.

The wolf was just a wolf.

"Sasuke-kun."

And the flower was really just a bud.

"Sakura."

But she was _his_ flower and perhaps, one day, would bloom again.

For a painted wolf.

THE END.


	2. Ivory

Author's Notes: Another one-shot. NejiTen.

Ivory  
(Dedicated to Jing)

The cherry blossoms were falling that day.

They fluttered in through the open windows, dancing past the transparently thin curtains to land delicately on the floor, filling the air with their fragrance. Sitting on her knees nearby, Tenten brushed the pale petals out of her hair, the movement of her hand awkward and graceless. She did not usually wear her hair down and the dark waves that swayed below her shoulders somehow seemed to leave her vulnerable despite their heaviness. The decorative kimono she wore didn't help either, the smooth fabric sliding across her skin like silk and startling her every time she raised her arms.

There was a formal festival that evening and in her mind's eye, Tenten could already see the strings of paper lanterns, the glow of summer fireflies, the talking, the laughing. She had promised a dance to Lee, despite his leg, and had told him he could lean on her all he wanted as long as he didn't step on her kimono. Neji, of course, acted as if the whole thing was a bother but when he had asked her to cut his hair for him, she knew he was a looking forward to it just a little bit.

She never really cut it, of course. Just trimmed the ends. She was the only one he ever allowed to touch his hair and she was never quite sure if it was because of her prowess with any kind of sharp object, or if, perhaps, she was the one he trusted most of all.

In any case, she wasn't about to give up a chance to run an ivory-toothed comb through his long hair, feeling the surprisingly soft strands slip through her fingers as she was doing now. Neji sat straight-backed in a chair in front of her facing the window, never once glancing in her direction, never moving, his silver-white eyes fixed on something outside.

She hummed to herself sometimes, unconsciously, singing to the strokes of her comb. She stopped through when she took out the scissors. He always thought she wasn't paying attention if she hummed when she used them.

She never missed a single hair, something she boasted about when they were alone. He would only smirk and say nothing, but she knew.

After all, he had never asked anyone else.

Sitting there in his festival regalia, looking away from her, always away, she could watch him instead and run her fingers through his hair under the pretense of detangling it. She loved those moments she had with him, full of cherry blossoms, silky, and ivory.

He never seemed to notice.

Until he his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, making her release a lock of his hair and pulling her forward slightly so that he could see her face. His other hand brushed the freed hair near her temple, disturbing the strand of bells she had woven through it.

His hand dropped at the sound.

"Are you done?" He rose without waiting for an answer and she blinked, suddenly feeling off balance, one hand still holding the ivory comb.

He turned at the door and looked back at her, his eyes going to the comb, something moving in his face.

"Keep it for next time," he said.

She folded the comb over her heart and rose to her feet, smiling.

Cherry blossoms, silk, and ivory.

The End.


	3. Azalea

Author's Notes: NaruHina. The language of flowers.

Azalea  
(For Scorpio Tigress)

"Tada!" Sakura said cheerfully, holding out a bouquet of red and white flowers. "What do you think, Hinata? Is this what you had in mind?"

"Mmm…" she replied, nodding, "They're pretty, Sakura-san." She took the flowers daintily, careful not to crush any of the petals. "I didn't know you knew so much about flowers."

Sakura laughed and put a hand behind her head sheepishly. "Well, I've had a little practice." She leaned forward, suddenly intent. "You're going to go see Naruto now, right? Would you like me to go with you?" Sakura's eyebrows drew together. "Knowing that idiot he probably won't understand a thing," she growled under her breath.

Hinata stammered, "Well…I…I…"

Sakura did her own translation. "Of course I'll go with you! I have to visit Lee-kun anyway."

In minutes they were walking down the sterile corridors of the hospital, both of them clutching flowers as Sakura didn't bother to knock on Naruto's door, but slid it open while calling out a greeting.

"Naruto! You have a visitor. Hinata-san is here to see you!"

Sitting up in his bed, burdened with various bandages, Naruto's face scrunched together as he smiled. "Sakura-chan, Hinata-san! Hey, hey, you didn't happen to bring me ramen, did you? Did you, did you, did--ACK!" He grabbed his head as Sakura smacked him with a fist.

"NARUTO! Geez, for one minute can you not think about ramen? Hinata brought you something better, idiot!"

Naruto perked up. "Really?" His gaze swung to Hinata who blushed and shifted on her feet until Sakura wondered if she was going to have to do the talking for all of them.

Hinata held out the bouquet and managed a whisper. "I brought…th..these…for….y..you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto took the flowers automatically but it was clear he was confused. "What did you say, Hinata-san?" Sakura put a hand over her face in an effort not to beat up her wounded teammate.

"Uh…uhm..I've got to…uhm…go. Ja!" Hinata slipped out quietly, leaving Naruto to turn to Sakura in bewilderment.

"Did you hear what she said?"

"IDIOT!" Sakura exclaimed. She struggled to take a calming breath as her eyes fell on the small bundle of azaleas and camellias clutched in Naruto's hand. She smiled inwardly. "Just because Hinata doesn't speak loudly, doesn't mean she doesn't have anything to say."

Azalea - _take care of yourself for me, fragile passion  
_Camellia - _admiration, good luck_

The End.


	4. Questions On Dying

_Author's Note: Tenten/Lee friendship. Set the day before he has his surgery. Spoilers up through current anime episodes._

**Questions On Dying**

"Tenten, can I ask you something?"

Konoha's weapons specialist raised her fingers, the rings of four kunai around her knuckles. She leaned forward slightly, shifting her balance and casually focused on the painted target over Lee's head, unconcerned that she might accidentally hit him instead of the dummy. There was only one time in her life that she had missed. She would not repeat it.

"Mmmm. Go ahead."

She pressed her lips together, inhaling and exhaling with perfect concentration, in harmony with everything around her, even Lee's heartbeat. It was good meditation technique that enhanced her accuracy, if it could be enhanced. She used it now to prepare herself for the question she knew he her teammate was going to ask.

"If you were me, what would you do?"

Tenten let the kunai's fly, barely watching. She knew exactly where they would hit. Her eyes fell to Lee's serious black eyes, his crippled leg, the crutch in his lap and she sighed soundlessly. It wasn't as if the question had plagued her. It was something she always thought about when she went to visit him in the hospital, she just had never come to any real conclusion.

"I don't know," she said at last, walking over to sit next to him. She leaned back against the tree, suddenly tired. "I've been thinking about it a lot. Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to be a great ninja like Tsunade-sama. I've worked hard for that dream and I wouldn't want to give it up, but…" She gazed upwards at the sky. "Living is important, too." She paused before turning to him, a smile creeping across her face. "Why do you ask? You've already made your decision."

He twirled blades of grass around his fingers absently. "I just wondered." He sat back after a moment, still serious. "Neji would have the surgery as well, I know it."

Tenten snorted. "Probably. He's too arrogant to think he might die."

Lee smiled. "I'm surprised you two aren't training together today. Where is he?"

"We're meeting later. I told him I was training with you this afternoon."

He blinked. "Training? But Tenten, I can't really…"

"I know, but you make a nice target," she teased, laughing. "Although I'm not sure your nurses would like hearing I broke you out of the hospital just to throw knives at your head."

"Probably not," he conceded, and grabbed his crutch to stand up. She followed his lead, letting him steady himself against her before starting back silently for the hospital. They walked with the steadiness of two people who had been part of a team so long that they could reach each other's thoughts, and knew what the other would do before they did. It was a comfortable feeling that Tenten loved, and she knew both Lee and Neji felt the same. When the three of them were together, there was no stopping them.

There were only a few blocks from the hospital, Tenten mentally preparing several excuses for Lee's absence, when his crutch caught in a large sidewalk crack and he lurched forward, off balance. Tenten reached out and caught his arm, blessing her quick reflexes as he straightened, adjusting his crutch underneath his arm again.

They made it to the hospital without any more incidents and she saw him back to his room, wishing him luck with a smile.

"Do your best, Lee! I expect to see you up and walking tomorrow, understood?"

He saluted her fiercely. "Yes, ma'am!"

She smiled. "Then until tomorrow." She waved and closed the door, collapsing to lean her forehead against it, tears in her eyes. It was possible he might be dead tomorrow. It was possible. She didn't want to believe it, and she would never want him to know she was upset. The thought was not one she could easily entertain. Sure, Lee was an idiot sometimes, and stubborn to a fault, but he had always come through for her, cheering her on in the Chuunin Exam and generally believing in her.

"He's going to make it," she whispered to herself. "He's going to make it."

She left that sterile, cold environment and hoped she would be back tomorrow.

**The End. **


	5. Pranayama

__

Author's Notes: NejiTen drabble, with a Lee cameo. "Pranayama" is Sanskrit for controlling the breath through inhalation, retention, and exhalation.

Pranayama

She sat in between Neji's knees, her legs crossed, eyes closed, her focus solely on the air filling and leaving her lungs. That is, until Neji leaned forward and reached around to lay a hand flat against her collarbone, his chest pressed against her back.

"Neji," she admonished him, opening her eyes. "You're going to make Lee suspicious!"

He grunted, unimpressed. "That idiot?" He looked across the training yard to where Lee was kicking a stump. _175, 176, 177... _"He doesn't see anything unless it's right in front of him."

She arched an eyebrow. "And you do?" she asked, half teasing.

His reply was serious. "I don't have to look at you to see you." His hand pressed down against her sternum. "Now, exhale," he commanded.

Struggling against the pale blush on her cheeks, she obeyed, closing her eyes as Neji aligned his breathing with hers. They had been working on breathing and meditation techniques all morning, Tenten grateful for the chance to develop… well, whatever it was that was blossoming between her and Neji. With his hand to guide her, she breathed with him, breathed herself _into_ him until they occupied the same space. The brush of his arms against hers was magnified, the weight of his palm on her chest her only anchor.

Without realizing it, she leaned back against him, fitting herself into curve of his body. It was so comforting, so peaceful and relaxing…

__

Inhale, hold, and exhale.

"Hey, Tenten."

Neji opened his eyes long enough to glance at Lee. "Quiet. She's asleep."

For once, the hot-headed ninja seemed to be at a loss for words as he took in the closeness of his teammates. Ignoring him, Neji closed his eyes, dropped his hand to Tenten's waist…

… and breathed her in.

****

The End.


	6. Ode to Athena

Author's Notes: Adult Neji/Tenten. PG-13. Limey fresh.

Ode to Athena

Blades flashed in the summer heat, shining steel sliding and hissing against its twin. Sparks were struck as the duelists broke apart, panting, their bodies drenched in sweat after an hour of trying to find weakness in the other and failing. He was tempted, very tempted, to use his eyes to better analyze her moves but he knew he couldn't. The exercise was to build on his skills outside of the Gentle Fist, such as physical weapons training. As always, Tenten was his sparring partner and he had no problem admitting, at least to himself, that she was kicking his ass.

Standing across from him with the perfect distance she used with enemies, her katana was lowered slightly, the edge blinding him momentarily as she shifted, a victorious smile on her face.

"Had enough, Neji?" She put one hand on her hip, wrinkling the pink shirt that was already plastered to her slim frame, emphasizing the curves she normally kept hidden. Her eyes were glimmering at him, her lips slightly parted as she breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling. She was the very picture of battle glory in womanly form, beautiful and strong with naked steel in her hand.

"Never," he answered darkly, smirking, smoky passion in the hollow tones of his voice. Tenten lifted her weapon, grinning with determination.

"Don't you dare, Neji! I'm going to beat you so just give up already." She lunged towards him, meeting and deflecting his blow. "I'm not going to fall for…"

But he was already rotating, dropping his own katana so he could grab her sword arm, a whoosh of chakra forcing her to drop hers as well. She gasped as his spin brought her close against his chest, both of them collapsing into the grass, Neji on top of her.

Catching his breath, he raised himself up on his forearms so as not to crush her, looking down into her amber eyes, amused.

"I win."

She snorted, her fingers sliding up his chest, making him stiffen as his body reacted to her touch. "You cheated," she told him firmly, one hand moving under his shirt to caress the planes of his abdomen. His heart sped up.

"You cheat in other ways," he growled, gripping her wandering hand and trapping it above her head with one of his own. She laughed.

"But you _like_ it when I cheat," she said smugly.

Having no good response that wasn't a complete and utter lie, he simply smirked at her and leaned down to kiss her neck, feeling her body arch against his as a pleased moan left her. Her arms draped themselves around his neck, fingers threading through his hair in a way he never got tired of as he kissed his way to her mouth, swallowing her next groan.

"Lee is going to catch us," she panted, making no effort to escape him. "I promised to run with him this afternoon." Neji ignored her, kissing her hard in an attempt to make her forget any other man, even their teammate. She whimpered against his lips, clutching him, and it was his turn to moan as her nails dug into his back.

Breathless and disheveled, he pulled back so that he could look at her, memorizing the flush of her skin, the shadow of love and lust in her eyes as she gazed back.

"We can't stay here," he said, realizing that he had no intention of stopping and Lee would indeed catch them together if they waited any longer. Tenten smiled and touched his jaw, watching as he leaned into her hand.

"I win," she whispered.

The End.


	7. Underlying Dynamics

__

Author's Notes: Meaningless Neji/Tenten/Lee friendship.

Underlying Dynamics

Theirs was a team born of hard work and loyalty and the acceptance of certain, undeniable facts. Lee would always seek to defeat Neji. Neji would always train only with Tenten, and as for herself, she would always be the balancing mechanism between the two. Despite these underlying dynamics, their cell was a well-oiled machine, each of them enhancing and restraining the others. They had been together so long that there was no need for words. Their nightly rituals during missions were an example of this.

Neji was always the one to choose their camping spot. As their unspoken leader and an inheritor of the Byakugan, it was natural for him to do so, his gaze finding the crevices in the land without effort. Once he had chosen, it was up to Tenten to set traps while Lee gathered wood for a fire if it was safe to have light. Neji might go fishing if they were low on supplies, or he might watch Tenten flit in and out of shadow if they were not. It didn't take her long to secure their camp, stringing wires and kunai with graceful ease. When she returned she would most often find Lee tending a small blaze of dead tree limbs and Neji meditating nearby, resting tired eyes.

After a brief meal in which they would analyze their situation and make plans for the next day, Tenten and Lee would head towards the nearest stream or river, Lee staying on the shore with his back turned as she engaged in the only "girly" habit she allowed herself, a short bath. She and Lee would talk during this time, sometimes about the mission, sometimes not. Lately Lee had been telling her about the girl he had his eyes on, Sakura. Tenten would lsiten, amused, and would tease him as a sister might. Lee always took it with a sheepish smile, knowing everything she said was true.

When they returned to the fire, Neji was usually stretched out and ready to sleep as Tenten had the first watch. Lee would settle down to rest as well and she would kneel between her teammates and watch them struggle to find dreams behind closed eyelids. She really did love her boys. She was proud to be on the same team as them and knew with confidence that they were one of the strongest cells out there.

Reaching out to touch both of their shoulders lightly, a wish pressed between her fingers, she would launch upwards into the trees, picking out a suitable limb on which to keep watch. When her shift was over, she would drop down to the campsite soundlessly. If she was lucky, Neji would already be awake, ready to start his shift. If not she would say his name quietly and watch his translucent gray eyes focus on her.

He would tarry a few minutes on the edge of the dying fire light as she sat and unwound her hair for sleep, letting it cascade down her back in waves. She didn't know why but he would never leave her until she was curled up and comfortable on the ground, her long hair her only blanket. Tenten would whisper to him and he would disappear.

"Good night."

And they would wake in the morning and carry on like it was any other day, the same movements, the same rituals, the same cohesion that pulled them all together and keep them strong. For others such a bond might be a weakness.

For them it was a strength.

****

The End.


	8. Field of Vision

__

Author's Notes: Another Neji/Tenten/Lee friendship, with hints of Neji/Tenten.

****

Field of Vision

They carried her into the cave surprisingly smoothly, only a few jostles sending her mind spiraling, white spots flashing before her eyes. One of them had already started a fire and they bent to lay her next to it, her back finally touching the cold, stone floor. She hissed involuntarily, her face whitening and Neji's cool voice echoed back at her.

"Careful, Lee. Her shoulder's dislocated."

Lee said nothing, his face a mask of concentration as her teammates finally released her and she saw their expressions in the flickering fire light. It had been a tough mission and all of them were a little worse for wear. They had decided to find a place to recover their strength for the night instead of heading straight back to Konoha, which turned out to be an ideal plan after Tenten noticed she couldn't use her right arm.

She hadn't felt it at the time, the blow that dislocated it, but she was certainly feeling it now. It took all her will and ninja pride not to sob out loud when Neji touched that arm softly, his eyes looking through her. He didn't have to say anything. She had always been able to read him better than most. She lifted her eyes to Lee's and was surprised when her voice came out hoarsely.

"I need… something to bite down on."

He nodded and disappeared from her field of vison, leaving her alone with Neji who saw too much, who was much too close, whose hand on her numb arm felt like lead.

"You shouldn't have done it," he told her sternly. She had been waiting for him to say something of the like and so it required only a little effort to smile faintly at him. She had known exactly what she was doing, jumping in front of Neji as one of their enemies threatened to slam into him from behind. He had seen the ninja coming of course despite the fact the man had been directly behind him, but he had been engaged in battle with another ninja and so Tenten had stepped in between them, taking the blow meant for Neji. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the smartest thing she had ever done, but she didn't regret it. She never regretted anything she did for Neji.

"You're probably right," she said, and watched his eyebrows rise slightly, "but I'm glad I did it anyway."

He scoffed. "Stubborn."

She smiled but the expression was lost as Lee returned, kneeling by her head with a short stick he had shaved of its bark with a kunai. Her eyes sought Neji's as he placed the wood between her teeth, his bandaged hands cupping her head tenderly, his face solemn. Normally, she would have reassured him but she was beginning to remember she didn't really like having her bones repositioned.

Neji's eyes were speaking to her though and she took a deep breath.

"Ready?" he asked quietly.

Before she could tense in anticipation of a reply, he pushed her arm up and over with a quick snapping movement that tore a muffled scream from her throat, sudden tears trickling from the corners of her eyes. Lee's thumbs wiped them off her cheeks with brotherly concern as she inhaled raggedly, her free hand coming up to pull the indented stick from between her teeth.

"Tenten." It was Neji, her name more of a question than a statement.

"I'm… alright," she said shakily, and saw him relax, something of a smirk crossing his flawless features.

"You didn't pass out this time."

She hiccupped a laugh and touched his arm. "You're welcome, Neji."

****

The End.


	9. Silk

_Author's Notes: Requested NejiTen drabble. _

**Silk**

They were standing together in the rain, she tucked under the flap of his jacket to escape the chill, he holding the umbrella over both their heads, his eyes stoically riveted straight ahead. Their breath misted as they breathed, their gazes watching the rain drenched twilight sharply, no sound betraying their shadowy presence over the soft patter of water against the top of their umbrella. The village was quiet except for the sector they were in, the long row of bars and restaurants aglow both with dim lanterns and raucous laughter.

Tenten pressed her lips together as a figure stumbled down the street on the arm of a provocatively dressed – or undressed – woman. She smoothed her own slim black dress unconsciously, idly touching the waves of her amber hair. Neji's voice whispered by her ear, sending shivers that had nothing to do with the rain down her spine.

"There he is."

She nodded once, uncurling her fingers from the edge of his coat and stepping out from the warmth his body had provided her. She watched the target enter the nearest tavern, tripping over his own feet before disappearing from sight. She didn't need to see his face to know Neji's eyes were correct.

"Remember, you must be seen. Make a scene and then get out. As long as they remember he came in, our mission is complete."

"I remember," she said softly, still staring. After a moment of noisy silence, Neji stepped forward, closing the gap between them again, his body pressed against hers.

"He wants you," he said lowly. "Use it."

"I understand."

"Then I'll be here."

She smiled slightly and hurried out into the rain. When she returned, raindrops caught in her hair, one strap of her silk dress ripped away, she saw his eyes turn the color of storm clouds.

Without a word, she tucked herself back under his coat, shivering slightly against the frigid air. His arm came up to hold her close. Her eyes drifted shut.

"I made a scene."

The End.


	10. Haze

_Author's Notes: SasuSaku from Tenten's POV._

**Haze**

It was one of those afternoons you see through a haze, a fog of beautiful memories that tinge everything with an otherworldly caress. I know because I have those memories too, but on this particular day I was watching it happen to someone else, wondering if they would look back with a smile or with tears.

I was sitting under a tree sharpening a new kunai I had developed, totally absorbed in my task when I heard someone humming. I was surprised because I thought I had been alone and I was usually very aware of these things. Glancing around I noticed two figures in the grass not far away, oblivious to the person under the blurred shadows of a nearby tree gazing at them.

It was Sakura who was humming, some odd tune that seemed to childish to suit her. Or maybe it was too childish to suit me, I'm not sure. All I can remember for sure is my immense surprise at realizing that the Uchiha genius, Sasuke, was lying in the grass beside her, apparently asleep, one arm tucked under his head, the other stretched out in Sakura's direction.

Something about that scene drew me. They weren't even touching and Sakura wasn't even looking at him, but I could tell that they were _together_, occupying the same space despite their distance. It was… comforting to see them that way. I was looking at something everyone had thought impossible and yet, here they were, enjoying a lazy afternoon and perhaps an invisible something more.

Smiles, I thought to myself. They would remember it with a smile.

The End.


	11. Midnight

_Author's Notes: Requested NejiTen. Futuristic. _

**Midnight**

It was midnight and she was kissing someone else.

It was all wrong, all wrong. She shouldn't have to do this. She shouldn't. And not with him. But she was a ninja and her teammates were counting on her and if she didn't stand there and let this guy kiss her she was going to mess everything up for them and… and…

She really wanted to cry.

When she finally allowed herself to break away, there was a horrifying prickle behind her eyes, a telltale sign that she was about to do something ridiculously un-ninja like. Swallowing her own feelings, she pulled herself together, completing the rest of the mission without a hitch.

It was only as she was walking back from the Hokage's office towards her home that she allowed herself to feel dirty. She needed to forget that night and the way he had touched her, kissed her, held her. She didn't want to have those memories.

Not when…

"Tenten."

She came to an abrupt halt, blinking in surprise as she realized Neji was standing in her path. He looked…puzzled, as if he couldn't understand why she hadn't noticed his presence. She _always_ noticed him.

"Neji," she said, and had to swallow to keep her voice from sounding so scratchy. "What are you doing here?"

A muscle in his jaw moved. "I was looking for you."

She felt her eyebrows rise of their own accord and she straightened her spine, struggling to find herself for him. "Why?"

"I heard you were back."

She nodded. "Just a few minutes ago, actually." She studied him there in the moonlight but found she was too tired to read underneath his words like usual. She exhaled wearily and started forward again. "Well, good night then."

As she passed him, his hand reached out to grab her elbow, stopping her in her tracks. She glanced over at him, wondering what had gotten into him.

"Neji?"

His expression was hard. "I heard…from Lee…"

She closed her eyes briefly. "It's alright. Everything's alright." She didn't know why she was reassuring him when it was she who wanted comforting except that he seemed to need it and she had always given him whatever she could. It was almost habit now. "I'm just tired."

He was silent for a minute before speaking quietly in a tone she had never heard before. "You don't have to say that."

"What?"

"You don't have to tell me everything's alright if it's not."

She half-smiled. "Don't I?" She pulled her arm away. "Weakness is a sin, isn't it?" He frowned but she didn't allow him to say anything, her patience worn out. "It doesn't matter. It's over with. I'll see you in the morning."

Again she turned and again he reached out to stop her, this time yanking her backwards hard, imprisoning her against his chest with his arms locked around her shoulders. She gasped but didn't struggle, suddenly too weak to do more than lean against him, her face pressed into his shirt as he held her.

And abruptly it was Neji's arms she felt, Neji's touches.

Neji's kisses.

And in the end he whispered to her just as she had to him.

"I'll see you in the morning."

The End.


	12. Cotton Candy

_Author's Notes: Requested Team Gai drabble._

**Cotton Candy**

The three of them had been together for a long time, so long that they had seen each other do some pretty ridiculous things. Tenten had been sure, up until about three minutes ago, that she had seen everything.

She was wrong.

"What is he _doing?"_ she murmured aloud. Drawn by her voice, Neji turned his head slightly, one eyebrow rising as his gaze fell upon their other teammate. He snorted.

"Being an idiot."

Yards away, lying on his stomach in the grass, hands propping up his head, Lee stared into the distance happily.

"Cotton candy pink," he said with a sigh, "The perfect color."

Tenten felt herself twitch. "He's daydreaming about that Sakura girl again." Without looking, she reached over and picked up a rock to fling at his head. As with everything she threw, it hit its mark dead on. "Lee! _Get a grip!_"

Lee rubbed his head, confused. "But you really _would_ look good in pink spandex. You could have an outfit just like mine! And Neji, yours would be blue, and together the three of us would _blind_ our fellow ninja with the _burning_ rays of our determination and-"

Neji had thrown a rock as well.

His was just much larger.

The End.


	13. Moonblind, Two Falcons, The Earrings

_Author's Notes: We actually have **three** drabbles here, folks. The first two are requested NejiTen and the last is a requested SasuSaku. For whoever requested the NaruHina, I can't make any promises as I feel I rather, well, suck at writing Naruto, hehehe, but I'll try my best. __Other than that, please enjoy. _

**Moonblind **

"I don't see it."

"Look a little harder," she urges.

"I don't see it."

She sighs. "My mother used to tell me stories about the man on the moon. See those dark spots there? Those are the eyes, and that thing near the bottom is the mouth. See?"

He doesn't. He never does.

"No."

But he wishes he could.

The End.

* * *

Two Falcons

One, two… Two.

Neji smirked. Two falcons. One in the lower branches, the other higher up. Not surprising they were together since peregrine falcons mated for life. He hadn't expected to see them, he usually counted songbirds, but the gray-blue feathered falcons were interesting.

Neji paused and then half smiled. Three falcons. The third was flying towards him through the canopy, talons extended. Neji moved into a spin as a rain of kunai fell and the third falcon dropped to the ground, lips curling into a grin, one last kunai spinning through her fingers.

He came to a stop and offered her his usual greeting. "You're late."

"Sorry," she answered, unconcerned. "What were you doing? Training?"

He graced his falcon with a rebel's smile. "Counting."

**The End.**

* * *

**The Earrings **

Her earrings kept flashing at him.

They were long, delicate things, a few small strings of tiny pink beads that glimmered with light every time she turned her head. They annoyed him. And not because they were distracting.

Lee had given them to her.

Of course, earrings themselves shouldn't be worn by kunoichi anyway. They were a liability. They could be ripped out by an enemy, or caught on the edge of a weapon. It really wasn't practical for her to display them like that.

"You shouldn't wear them," he said flatly, eyes flickering to her ears. She blinked and raised a hand towards them but he extended a fist towards her before she could say anything. "These are more suited to you."

The next day she wore two small cherry-lacquered studs and a secret smile.

**The End**


	14. Sunbath

_Author's Notes: Requested NejiTen, one sided LeeSakura. Requests are closed for the moment while I work on another story. :)_

**Sunbath**

"Lee, what are you doing?"

Neji paused on his way back to the Hyuuga compound to arch an eyebrow in his teammate's direction. Lee was crouched behind a row of bushes, his round eyes at their widest, a goofy look on his face, and… was that drool at the corner of his mouth? Neji's eyebrows drew together.

"Lee!"

The other boy jerked and looked over, motioning wildly for him to be quiet when he realized who it was. Neji made an attempt to keep his patience.

"Shhhh! You're going to disturb them," Lee said solemnly as he turned back to watching whatever he was watching. His face immediately went slack again and his voice took on a dreamy quality. "I have never seen such _glorious youthful beauty_!"

Puzzled, Neji knelt down and felt his whole body still, his breath catching in his throat as all rational thought left his mind.

Lying in the middle of a clearing was Tenten and Sakura in their bathing suits, stretched out on a their backs in order to catch the best of the sun's rays. Lee's eyes were riveted on Sakura but Neji found he could not look away from Tenten. He had never noticed how her skin reminded him of milk white ivory, glistening with sunscreen. Her dark hair was pulled into two braids that lay over her smooth shoulders, her toned stomach rising and falling as she half dozed.

Neji struggled to swallow and for the first time in his life understood exactly what Lee was trying to say. At that moment, he had never seen anything more beautiful.

In the clearing, Tenten smiled secretly to herself and looked through her eyelashes at the bushes before murmuring innocently to Sakura.

"Shall we go topless for awhile?"

The End.


	15. Crimson

_Author's Notes: I've received everyone's requests, but I must stress once again that **requests are closed **until "Crossing the Acheron" is finished, so it'll be awhile before you see them here. For now, enjoy my homage to my OTP. NejiTen. _

**Crimson**

Neji staggers into the hospital, tattered and breathing raggedly, one pale eye closed against the blood dripping down his face from a cut on his forehead. In his bandaged arms he holds his teammate, her slim body a mass of small slices, each one bleeding freely until it looks as if she's been painted crimson. She seems to be very near death, if not already gone, and Neji is not much better, weaving on his feet as if ready to collapse any moment.

"She needs help," he says to anyone who will hear, his voice cracking like something old and unused, the splinters of his words striking the patients in the waiting room. Tenten's blood is dripping into a puddle at his feet as Sakura dashes to him, green eyes widening as she examines the unconscious woman. Fearfully, she checks for a pulse and finds one, a faint fluttering under her fingertips. She looks up into Neji's all too still face and nods once. Something flares to life again within his eyes.

Sakura calls more medics and they take Tenten from him, a trail of splattered blood marking their path back to the emergency bay. He stands there, his own wounds forgotten as he watches the door she disappeared behind, his stunned mind wondering if he'll ever see her walk out of it.

Then Lee is there, just as broken and battered, limping up to him to rest a hand on Neji's shoulder. He speaks but Neji doesn't understand what he's saying.

"She's strong, Neji. She'll make it."

He doesn't want to hear this. "She was hit by poisoned senbon, Lee," he says coldly, shrugging off his friend's comforting arm. Even with one eye he can still freeze people. "And she wouldn't even be in there if you hadn't rushed in like a fool."

He starts walking, ignoring the nurse's calls to halt. He can only see that door, the one keeping him from her, and then he's through it, seeing nothing but her torn body and tangled hair. Tubes are already attached to her, pumping antidote into her system and he can see it run through her system, saving her. Her fingers twitch in spasms, her system struggling in a battle he cannot help her with.

Something leaves his throat, a word, a name, a sound – he's not sure. Then he's by her side, grasping her hand and feeling something inside of him piece itself back together as she returns his grip unconsciously. There are voices in his ear, telling him he shouldn't be there, he's in their way. Sakura snaps something back in his defense but he doesn't care, he's counting Tenten's breaths.

An hour later he's still standing there, holding onto her incase she decides to leave him. Sakura is treating his wounds as best she can while he's standing and he barely feels touch of her chakra, all his concentration focused on the one person that means the most to him.

Someone brings him a chair and he sits automatically, his fingers still entwined with Tenten's. After a moment, he leans forward and speaks to her in a tone that no other person alive has ever heard. The words he uses are ones only his father has been graced with.

"Don't leave me."

And as if something has been tightened, fixed, _held_, her eyes flicker open and she sees him. The corner of her mouth curves. She whispers his name.

"Neji."

Just that is enough for him, but she gives him more. She always has.

"I'm here."

**The End.**


	16. Without a Sound

_Author's notes: Just trying to get back in the swing of things after Christmas. :D This is a - gasp - Gai reflection drabble! And maybe NejiTen?_

**Without a Sound **

Tenten didn't like to cry. He knew this because she had once told him so after breaking her leg in one of their first missions. His precious little swordslinger, the little girl who at eleven years old had amazed him with her talent with any weaponry and her ability to keep up with the prodigy, Neji, and the apple of his eye, Rock Lee, had refused to cry over broken bones despite the obvious pain he knew she was going through. She had bravely sat there, biting her her lower lip and her eyes very bright as they hovered over her, off balance. It had been early in his team's time together as a true cell and they hadn't quite been sure how each of the others would react to being injuried or watching someone else be hurt.

Tenten hadn't made a sound.

Her silent suffering though had been almost too much for Lee, who never liked to see his teammates in pain. In fact though, it had almost been too much for Gai himself who had never had a kunoichi as stubborn as his Tenten. As for his third student, Gai sometimes wondered if Neji hadn't been the one most affected that day. He and Tenten had always had a sort of tenous connection, one that made her tolerable in Neji's eyes, while Lee annoyed him. Whether it was because of her quiet, unspoken devotion to him or something else, he had never been sure. Even now after all these years he couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Still, back then, Neji had said nothing, simply kneeling in the dirt by her side and holding onto her hand as Gai set her leg. The image of that stayed with Gai throughout the years, and as he looked upon them now he knew that Neji was still somehow holding her hand in support and Tenten was still holding in her tears.

Even if she didn't know it yet, he knew that Neji would be the one to make her weep. Whether over some emotional slight or a mission gone wrong, it was Neji that held that power over her.

Until then, she still refused to cry.

**The End**


	17. Calligraphy

_Author's Notes: NejiTen. Just a moment in time. _

**Calligraphy**

She sits at a low table, her bare legs crossed, unhampered by the fact that she wears only one of his shirts. She's never really been conscious of how she looks, not even around him, and since he sleeps, she feels its alright to be oblivious. Anyone watching her might think she was preparing to mediate. She smiles to herself and picks up an ink brush.

The smell is of aged paper, wood, and the melting wax of the candles on the table. Thin streamers of smoke rise like offerings, filling the air with hazy wishes. She barely notices, long used to feeling time stop, to dodging discarded weapons on the floor. Her eyes flicker to the bed briefly but she doesn't speak. For that moment, her room contains everything she holds dear and she would like to hold it there a little longer.

She lifts an arm made firm and slender by years of weapons training, holding the brush with the grace of a sleeping ballerina, a dancer about to take her first step. Then she descends, painting the black trails of sounds and names, the forms of words on the long scroll spread across half the room. She likes calligraphy. She's good at it. She has good reflexes and her wrists are flexible, moving with the ink in patterns others might have ruined. She breathes life into cracked symbols, thinking of nothing and of everything. Her world has contracted to the sound of her brush against the parchment, her ink bottles, the bed, and him.

He's asleep for the first time in days. She knows because she never sleeps unless he does. The last mission took something out of him, he had had to kill someone. That, too, she had known by reading his eyes as well as he read hers. His painted mask lay forgotten in the corner, thrown there in his desire to lose himself in her.

She thinks he does not look young when he sleeps, nor innocent. Instead, he seems content, as if his dreams are pleasant and that's all she's ever wanted for him. Happiness. She tries to give it to him but it is a fleeting thing, fluttering off on rainbow wings just when she thinks its there to stay.

Or maybe, he doesn't dream at all.

She likes it like this though. Quiet and still, with the feel of his body still imprinted on hers, the windy smell of his hair lingering in her mind. When its like this, even the blue, cross-shaped seal on his forehead doesn't bother her. When its likes this, they can overcome anything.

Adding a little more ink, she writes his name because that too will give her a weapon.

"Tenten."

She looks up as he slips out of her bed, padding silently around until he sits behind her, pulling her back against him. He lifts a muscled arm and places it over hers, their fingers aligned as she grips her brush. She smiles softly and begins to write again, bringing him with her as they form the characters together.

The smell is of aged paper, wood, and the melting wax of the candles on the table. And her world has contracted to the sound of her brush against the parchment, her ink bottles, the bed, and him.

**The End.**


	18. A Kiss In the Dark

_Author's Notes: NejiTen drabble. Set sometime in the future. _

**A Kiss In the Dark**

She stands with a stillness he has seen perfected over time, the lanky grace of an alert deer, amber eyes focused beyond her surroundings, listening as if for something far away. There's something poetic about the wind in her loose hair, the way her bare katana flashes with dying light even though she hasn't moved, the rustle of the parchment from the bound scrolls she carries over her shoulder. She is a bearer of words and steel, and the long gaze of a hawk caught in a thermal, distant and out of reach. He doesn't touch her though, or say anything that might draw her back from wherever she is. At that moment, he knows she doesn't want anything from him.

It's snowing. Big, fat flakes drift lazily from an overcast sky, slowing time and space and movement. They get caught in her hair, turning it to lace, and do not melt when they fall against her sword. The air is overly silent, almost suffocating, and he straightens, suddenly restless. The absence of sound disturbs him sometimes. He's used to birdsong and the ruffling breeze in the leaves. This cold, mountainous place doesn't suit him.

Almost as one, they turn to depart, Tenten anticipating his desire to leave and following, executing the smooth motion that is sheathing her blade as she walks. The final click tells him that their mission is over and they are returning. It is a surprisingly welcome feeling. He wants to go home. Never before has he really had that feeling. Home used to be a cage, now the door has been unlocked.

He walks the path back to their campsite slowly, aware of Tenten disabling traps and wires as she goes. They pack up and erase their existence from every tree limb, every rock until it seems like no one has ever been there before. Standing there in the still falling snow, cloaks wrapped around them for warmth, Neji looks up into the clouds, blinking as snowflakes get caught in his eyelashes.

"We'll stay at an inn tonight," he says finally, breaking their long silence. He tilts his head down to glance at her, finding her herself again and smiling softly at him. She knows what he means. Another stolen night all to themselves under the excuse of bad weather. Her eyes sparkle as she comes back to life.

The snow has never suited her either.

* * *

She breathes again in his arms. There is something about him that awakens her, sends every nerve tingling at his lightest touch. It's almost too much sometimes, because she feels very little during battle and suddenly too much when he brings her back with a kiss in the dark. Still, she never shies away from his hands, she loves him too much. Instead, she throws herself into him with all of her heart, tangling her fingers in his hair as she pulls him down to her.

She doesn't know it but, at that moment, he'd give anything to stay like that forever. Just the two of them, alone under rumpled sheets with snow falling outside their window.

She thinks one day she'll unlock _that_ cage for him as well.

**The End.**


	19. Surrender

_Author's Notes: A little gift for my readers for late Valentine's Day. NejiTen and limey! _

**Surrender**

"Just a little further."

"Tenten…"

She laughed, pulling along a blindfolded Neji, their fingers linked together as she served as his eyes. They were both dressed comfortably, lacking their usual ninja gear in observation of their day off. Tenten, in her usual unpredictable manner, turned the holiday upside down and told her boyfriend she had a surprise for him. Of course, there was a little catch. He had to go blindfolded and without complaint.

Surprisingly, he hadn't offered any, holding her hand and following her, easily trusting that she wouldn't let him trip. Grinning to herself, she admonished him cheerfully, "No cheating, Neji. You promised. No Byakugan."

He sighed but his lips twitched into an almost smile. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Their destination was a pond on the Nara clan's property. She had had to plead with Shikamaru to get him to agree to let them go there, resorting to bribing him with one of the special shuriken she was developing. It was a beautiful place. The pond was deep and dark blue, sparkling with sunlight. The grassy slopes leading down to the water were green and fresh, the air smelling of new flowers.

Once she was satisfied he was in a good position to view the scenery, Tenten stopped, releasing Neji's fingers to loop her arms around his neck, laughing low in her throat as his arms circled her waist, his palms slipping beneath the fabric of her shirt to grip her hips.

"You know," she said playfully, tangling her fingers in her long hair and laying small kisses along his jaw line. "I kind of like you this way."

"You're a tease," he told her, but made no move to undo his blindfold. She grinned.

"Well, you've been a good boy. I suppose I can free you." She stood on tiptoe and removed the folded cloth, watching as he blinked, taking in the surroundings. Finally, he looked down at her, one eyebrow arched.

"What are we doing here?"

She smiled. "We're going swimming."

"I didn't bring my…" but he trailed off, silver eyes widening slightly at the mischievous look on her face.

"You know, for being such a genius, you really are quite dense," she teased, slipping out of his grasp and turning to strip off her clothes, keeping herself from turning to see his expression as she waded into the water, unbinding her hair as she went. Swimming deeper, she finally looked back only to see Neji still standing on the shore, watching her with smoky eyes.

"My, it's a little lonely out here," she said, giving him a seductive pout. "I guess I should just put my clothes back on…"

Barely had she finished then Neji started out towards her, shucking off his shirt and throwing his clothes carelessly behind him. A small fire ignited in her stomach at the sight of his naked body, the hard planes of his chest, the way his dark hair fell over his shoulders. When he got close enough, he reached out for her and she went into his arms willingly, tilting her head as he kissed her hotly, retribution for her teasing.

Feeling Neji's warm body against hers along with the cool water made her shiver delightfully, her hands falling to his shoulders as they came up for air. He had only a moment before he caught the devious twinkle in her eye but it was already too late. In a flash, she pushed down on him, dunking him under the surface, laughing as she started to swim away, knowing his revenge would be swift.

She was right.

In seconds, a hand gripped her ankle and yanked downwards, dragging her under with a squeal. When they both finally surfaced, their hair dripping and out of breath, Tenten gasped as Neji pulled her to him again, her heart filling at the look he was giving her.

"You," he said clearly, "are evil."

"I know, but you love me anyway." She smiled and winked at him. "Does this mean you give up? Have I finally beaten the great Hyuuga Neji?"

His arms tightened around her possessively. "Never," he answered, his baritone voice sending a thrill through her. He proved good on his word, too.

An hour later, it was Tenten who surrendered.

And quite willingly.

**The End. **


	20. What's Mine

_Author's Note: NejiTen. Response to the "First Kiss" challenge on naruto100 on LJ. _

**What's Mine**

The day he learned that Kiba had tried to kiss her was the day he kicked open the door to her apartment, wind-blown and silver eyes flashing as she lifted her head from the book in her lap, a shocked expression on her face.

"Neji…what...?"

He strode towards her, determined to do what he had wanted to do for weeks now. He had thought that it had been only hormones, that his awakening feelings for his kunoichi teammate had been the product of too much time training and too little time doing the things most teenage boys do. Now he knew that it didn't matter. _No one_ was going to take what was rightfully his. She was _his_ partner, and no one else's.

Looming over her, he bent down, caught her head between his hands, and kissed her fiercely, a fairly distant part of him slightly surprised when she opened beneath his lips like a flower to sunlight. When he was finished, he broke away, his breath coming quick and fast, pleased with the way she was panting, tendrils of disheveled hair framing her face.

"This," he said, placing his fingers over her mouth, "is _mine_."

Then he pivoted on his foot and marched out her door, irrationally satisfied that he had made his point.

Tenten watched him go with a small, secret smile on her face, still feeling the burning touch of his fingertips on her lips. It looked like the Hyuuga's arrogance was useful after all.

She would have to thank Kiba in the morning.

**THE END.**


	21. Gyration

_Author's Notes: Written for a challenge on LJ. Slight NejiTen featuring DRUNK!Lee. _

**Gyration**

"Oh no..."

Tenten felt her eyes widen as her gaze fell on an oddly moving character across the room, spinning and half-falling in dance moves Konoha was sure to have never seen before.

Following her look, Neji arched an eyebrow and then turned to pluck the glass of punch out of her fingers, taking a drink of it while she stared at him blankly.

"They spiked it," he announced grimly and she grimmaced, watching as Lee continued to gyrate across the have said a small smile curved the Hyuuga's lips.

"He's going to hate us in the morning, you know," she told him, as they walked together out onto the dance floor.

Neji lifted her hand. "We'll just tell him it was training."

**The End**


	22. Barbershop Trio

_Author's Notes: Team Gai, GEN. Requested by Farli on LJ. Beware of CrAcK! _

**Barbershop Trio**

"You… have got to be kidding me." Tenten pinched the bridge of her nose and wondered if her head was about to explode. Lee was already shaking his head, completely serious.

"Gai-sensei says it will be good for us! TEAMWORK, TENTEN! Just think, we shall be the envy of all the genin teams if we complete this mission!"

Frankly, Tenten would much rather have clawed her own eyes out. Neji looked as if he felt about the same, arms crossed over his chest, a flat expression on his face.

"I refuse," he said firmly.

"You can't refuse, Neji!" Lee exclaimed, scandalized. "It's a _mission!_"

Tenten groaned. "Oh for heaven's sake, let's just get this over with." And maybe, if they did it quickly, no one they knew would see them. Reaching out, she rang the doorbell before either of her teammates could stop her.

Kakashi answered the door.

Inwardly, she carefully began plotting Gai-sensei's painful demise. Outwardly, she glanced at both her teammates. "Ready?"

They all three began to sing, Lee's enthusiastic bellowing overshadowing Tenten's light alto, and Neji's sporadic mumblings. He was really going to kill something later.

_Happy, happy birthday!  
It's your special day!  
I'll beat you one day, Kakashi  
How 'bout tomorrow, okay?_

Tenten finished the song with a sort of lame kunai juggling act and all three of them waited to see what Kakashi would say. Gai-sensei had told them the mission could not be completed until they got an answer.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled and he waved a hand vaguely. "He wins," he said.

After all, he'd _never_ be able to trick his team into singing.

**The End. **


	23. I Seek You

_Author's Notes: Requested SasuSaku. Set after the current manga arc. It's short. You've been warned. XDXD_

**I Seek You**

For the first time in almost four years, Sasuke didn't wake up alone. It was strange at first, and he had trouble focusing. His body tensed as it had every morning in the Sound, preparing to defend against a surprise attack. Then he saw the white line of Sakura's back, the gentle curve of her hip and the world spun, sending him back to the days of Team 7 and waking up to Sakura's flowery scent, Naruto's loud snores, and Kakashi flipping pages in his book.

A blink set the universe right again and his body relaxed. Here, in her bed, there was no threat of violence, no need to be on guard. His hand moved down the slope of her arm and she sighed in her sleep, pressing herself back against him, unconsciously seeking him.

It made him feel… good. As if… As if he could know happiness. With her.

Resting his forehead against the back of her neck, he closed his eyes peacefully.

With her, he could sleep without nightmares.

**The End. **


	24. Trinket

_Author's Notes: NejiTen. _

**Trinket**

"Do I really have to wear this?" Tenten asked doubtfully, lifting her arm and watching the silk of the Chinese robe shift across her skin. "I feel so… naked."

Hyuuga Neji coughed and struggled to keep his emotionless demeanor. "It's a crucial part of the mission," he reminded her. She grimaced.

"I know, but…" She made a helpless motion towards the low back of the robe which had been made specifically to show off the wearer's slender neck and shoulders. "Do I have to be so… exposed?" She sounded miserable.

Unconsciously, he took a step towards her, his voice coming out huskier then he would have liked. "I'll be with you." He leaned over and adjusted one of the ornaments in her hair, the one he had given her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Her cheeks turned a pale pink. "Thank you, Neji."

He let his hand drop, a smirk crossing his features. "You owe me."

She rose slowly, careful not to disturb her ceremonial outfit. She looked at him through lowered eyelashes and his heart actually sped up. "Really?" she purred.

He tried to swallow. "Yes."

She graced him with a confident smile and a promise of things to come. "Good."

**The End. **


	25. Chemistry, Happy Endings, Futon

_Author's Notes: A NejiTen, NaruHina, and SasuSaku drabble, in that order. SasuSaku one is PG-13._

**The Magic of Chemistry **

"I don't believe in magic," he says, those flawless moon-colored eyes watching her heavily as he leans downs, drawn by chemistry and the pull of something that connects their hearts, the lifeline pulsing with the quickening of their blood.

Tenten's body moves towards him, standing on tiptoe as she leans up into him, head tilting back slowly, her own eyes half-lidded as she smiles lazily at him, her voice smoky with something he can't identify.

"I do," she breathes, and their lips meet.

Magic.

**The End. **

* * *

**Happy Ending Anyway **

Hinata is beginning to understand love. When she was very little, she would read fairytales, smiling softly at the happy endings. She's not so naïve now as to think that sort of thing awaits her. She knows that it doesn't. She also knows that she's not special. She's not powerful or confidant or beautiful. She's not someone a prince should risk his life for.

Which makes it all the more beautiful when Naruto comes running to meet her, wind-milling to a stop right in front of her, his mouth stretched in happiness.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan! Want to get some ramen?"

She smiles shyly and isn't perturbed at all by the notion of eating ramen at seven o'clock in the morning when she's already eaten.

Her prince is not really a prince at all. He's just a boy, and she's just a girl, but maybe they'll have a happy ending anyway.

**The End. **

* * *

**Futon For Two**

The futon was really too small for two people and Sakura almost wished she had planned ahead a little because the edge of the mat digging into her back wasn't all that comfortable. However, she wasn't going to say anything, not with Sasuke on top of her, reckless, his hands strong and sure against her ribs. His dark hair pooled against her white skin as he leaned down to kiss her neck. Electricity shot through her body and she closed her eyes, wondering why she felt like crying when all her dreams were about to come true.

"Sakura," he murmured, his voice dark and beautiful. Her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed into his midnight eyes to find there a dangerous sort of love, a fire once banked that was starting to flare to life.

She twined her arms around his neck and arched into him.

She didn't care if she got burned.

**The End.**


	26. The Queen of Pentacles

_Author's Notes: Uchiha Mikoto drabble. (Sasuke's Mom, FYI) I'm sure it's chock full of spoilers. _

**The Queen of Pentacles**

There was a time when she was oblivious. When her world centered around rising with the sun, frying white noodles until the house smelled like cooking, watching her sons walk together out to the practice field - one tall, the other small. She would do laundry in the afternoons and come to the dinner table smelling like fresh soap. Her husband would smile that small, contained smile and she would glow like a blossom in spring, welcoming him into her arms after twilight, bars of moonbeams over their bed.

Then she heard the rumor and those times faded along with the veil that had kept her from seeing.

Itachi had always been the perfect son. Sasuke was young still, soft with a child's gentleness, his inner strength yet to be tested. He was her baby. Itachi, though, was a young man and more like his father every day. That same streak of cold steel hidden inside his body, visible only when she looked at him sideways. She feared for him, sometimes, when she was alone. It seemed to her he walked a lonely path, one he often took with Sasuke at his side who didn't seem to see whose footsteps he was following.

The days passed and she turned the hourglass over, watching those precious moments drop away one by one. Soon Itachi was more distant than ever, and Fugaku would barely touch her when they were alone, his thoughts spinning into some far away place she couldn't reach. He would speak to her, though, about their youngest and she'd smile as if the sun would rise in the morning and she would fry noodles in the kitchen while their sons went out to practice. Instead, she treated Sasuke's burns with salve and pressed kisses into his smooth forehead as he wriggled away from her.

The rumor haunted her, most of all because Fugaku seemed to believe it. That Itachi would kill his best friend was like some horror without a name, a sin as black as her son's raven-wing hair. He would hardly speak to her now and only when his father wasn't present. His words were low and steady and revealed nothing of what he really thought. He was keeping a secret, she thought, one that would destroy them. She felt it everytime he entered a room, and everytime the string of tension grew a little tighter, the pitch higher. Soon she would be able to play a dirge with all those painful moments, a hymn to her small family of silent warriors.

Then came a night when the moon shone with a blood-red halo. Itachi stepped into the room and all the strings broke, one long, off-key note ripping the silence.

Mikoto's hourglass ran out.

But elsewhere, another one turned over.

**The End. **


	27. Etch, Brother's Son

_Author's Notes: First one is SasuSaku, second one is a Hiashi-centric. Surprising, I know. XD_

**Etch Your Name On My Heart**

There's a whole life written on the surface of her heart. A life full of pain and loneliness, of death and betrayal, paper fans and red moons.

It's not hers.

It's his, and even though he's not there anymore, she carries it for him, _lives_ it for him, even dreams about it. It makes her stronger, sharpens her like a blacksmith hones a knife. Lee-san tells her she shouldn't carry it all alone and she can't bring herself to tell him that she's never thought of it as a burden. After all, she loves Sasuke. Not to the point of blindness, just more than anyone else.

She'd like to believe that he needs her, and maybe he does, but somehow she feels she might need him more.

She lives for him now, breathes him, and waits for the moment when she can look him in the eye and say, _Now we're the same_.

**The End. **

**

* * *

My Brother's Son**

It must have been an ironic twist of fate that his brother's son seemed to live for the Main House's destruction, while Hizashi had died to save it. Watching Neji down in that arena, performing maneuvers that should have been impossible for a Branch member, he couldn't understand why everything was so convoluted. Why was Neji, a genius, born to his brother while he, the leader of the clan, produced only two daughters who had yet to impress him?

Hizashi had died to defy his fate, and Hiashi could see the beginning of that in Neji, in the way he moved, frowned, even drank his tea. Every movement filled with scorn and a sort of disparity that comes with knowing there is no way out.

The stadium broke out in cheers and calls as the Kaiten flashed silver and green.

Fighting, always fighting.

Would there ever be an end?

If there was, Hiashi almost hoped it would be because of that boy, the one struggling to break free, his brother's son.

**The End.**


	28. Ascending to Purgatory

_Author's Notes: Neji and Tenten discuss Sasuke. _

**Ascending to Purgatory**

Neji understands the nuisances of power, he has plenty of it and knows there could be more. Tenten, having been around him most of his life, comprehends it as well, including the deeper strength of pure determination. Therefore, they are leery of Uchiha Sasuke, who has both power and a hunger that gives him no limitations.

"Ambition can be evil," Tenten muses quietly. "What is it they say? 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions'?" She takes a sip of her water and Neji refills it when she sets it back down. It's a hot day and he figures he owes her for the last six hours of training.

"He loves nothing, protects nothing. Power is his only goal."

Tenten glances at him. "_Pretends_ to love nothing, I think. Denial is the only way he can go forward. If he loves, if he _cares_, he'll realize that there are other things besides power."

Neji leans forward and takes the glass from her hand, draining it. "Ambition is a lonely road."

His teammate smiles. "Only if you want it to be."

**The End. **


	29. At Your Service

_Author's Notes: NejiTen drabble._

**At Your Service **

"Just give it to me," Neji said tiredly, holding out his hand. Watching her was giving him a headache.

Tenten scrunched her face in effort. "No, I've almost got it."

Another minute passed and Tenten's face turned a deep shade of strained red before she stopped and set the unopened pickle jar on the table, panting.

Neji gave her a look.

"I'm going to open it if it kills me," she said resolutely, glaring at the glass object as if it were her worst enemy.

"It might."

Her glare turned to him but he held it firmly and she sighed, handing him the jar. "Fine, fine, you do it."

The jar opened with a snap and he handed it back, smirking. "It never hurts to ask for help," he admonished, quoting Gai. Tenten rolled her eyes at him but she was smiling.

"Hyuuga Neji, my personal can opener." Her fingers brushed his jaw as she leaned closer. "But he'd better not be opening anyone else's pickle jars."

He closed his eyes as her breath tickled his neck. "Definitely not."

"Not even Lee's?"

"_Definitely_ not Lee's."

"Not even-"

Tenten was effectively silenced by Neji's mouth over hers. When they finally broke apart, Neji looked down at her, completely serious.  
"Just yours."

**The End. **


	30. A Thousand Years of Nightmares

_Author's Notes: Neji/Ten. Some violence. Sort of. _

**A Thousand Years of Nightmares**

There was a struggle going on behind that door, he knew it. He could _hear_ it. Still, no matter what he did, the door wouldn't budge. He couldn't get to her.

"Tenten!"

Only the sound of scuffling and heavy breathing answered him, with the occasional whimper of pain that sent something cold right through him. He rammed his shoulder against the door again and was only pushed back by his own strength, defeated by what should have only been wood. He felt ill and out of sorts and couldn't comprehend why everything he did failed when she needed him so.

"Neji..."

His name was barely a croak and it cracked something inside him. Tenten would never call for him in that way, her voice vulnerable and weak. That she had actually done so only meant... it meant...

With one furious, desperate kick Neji broke down the only obstacle between him and her and found himself looking into his deepest nightmare.

Hiashi stood in the middle of the room, holding Tenten by the neck as he slowly crushed her windpipe, his arm lined with bloody gashes as Tenten feebly struggled to free herself.

Hiashi looked over his shoulder at him and said calmly, "You must destroy all your weaknesses." With one final rush of chakra, the light faded from Tenten's eyes and Hiashi let her drop to the floor carelessly, as if she were nothing.

And, as Neji watched, that's what she became, the wind erasing her image like a scattering of dust.

His own broken scream of rage awakened him.

"Neji," Tenten was beside him, shaking his shoulder gently, her fingers cool against his forehead. He stared at her as if he had no idea who she was before it came to him that he had been dreaming again, the same hellish dream he had had for the last week. He turned his face away from her and she dropped her hands, waiting patiently.

After a minute he said, "I'm alright," and she nodded, knowing it was true. And it was. He knew the nightmare for what it was - a lie. For Tenten had never been a weakness, not when the fact that she was still alive brought him immediate strength.

No, what he needed to defeat was one hundred years of ingrained traditions that had long outgrown their usefulness.

And, somehow, when he looked at her, it didn't seem so impossible.

**The End.**


	31. Trick or Treat

_Author's Notes: In the spirit of Halloween. Winner of LJ's Tenten community's October Contest. NejiTen. _

**Trick or Treat**

Neji knew something was up when he came home to find the dining room dimly lit with candles and the table set for one. Bright silverware was laid out and there was a black rose set over the plate, complete with thorns. Arching an eyebrow, he approached cautiously only to stop as piano music suddenly filled the air, the song quiet and perfect.

Both of his eyebrows rose when Tenten appeared from the dark.

She was scantily dressed in what appeared to be a maid's outfit, complete with a black blouse and an indecently short skirt that made his eyes widen. She wore a white apron and her hair was woven back into two braids threaded with dark ribbons that dangled to her waist. Black heels adorned her feet, and were those fish-net hose on her legs?

Neji swallowed unconsciously.

"Good evening, Neji-sama," she purred, slinking closer to him with something like a predator's smile. He almost took a step back before realizing a Hyuuga would never do such a thing, especially not in the face of a _woman_, even one such as Tenten. Straightening his spine, he forced himself to ignore the dipping neckline of her dress and focus on her eyes which gleamed in the candelight.

"Tenten, what are you...?"

"You must have had a tiring day, Neji-sama," she said, her voice low and husky as she took his hand, leading him to his chair. He went willingly, still mystified but not at all displeased with the rather strange turn of events. He had always rather liked being respectively addressed. "You should really relax after working such long hours."

Her hands found his shoulders and, before he knew what was happening, she had pushed him roughly down into his seat and sat herself down on his lap. Brown eyes sparkled as she leaned against his chest, both of her legs hooked over his knees as her fingers traced his jaw. And, in a sudden flash of insight, Neji knew exactly what was happening.

"You talked to Lee about this, didn't you?"

She laughed, her lips grazing his ear, making him shiver despite himself. "You know how he loves Halloween. He was more than happy to make sure you came home early," she whispered.

Neji was having a difficult time concentrating on her words but he managed to understand that he had somehow been manipulated. Surprisingly, he wasn't all that irritated.

"I take it this is your costume?" he asked, taking a sharp breath as she began methodically unbuttoning his shirt, pressing kisses into his skin as she went.

"Mmmm, do you like it? I got it from one of Jiraiya's novels. The beautiful, tempting housemaid seduces her dark and stoic master on the dining room table."

Neji's eyebrows drew together as he frowned. "What were you doing with Jiraiya?"

Tenten lifted her head, her lips curving in amusement. "I don't think you heard what I just said." Shifting a little in his lap, she took both of his hands and set them on her waist, her fingers then moving to thread themselves through his hair as his grip tightened reflexively. With a little tug she drew his head down, tilting her own to meet him in a long, deep kiss that drove all jealous thoughts from his mind. Indeed, as they came up for air, he wasn't sure he could think at all.

Tenten smiled at his dazed look and made a mental note to send Lee buckets of candy in the morning.

"Happy Halloween, Neji-sama."

**The End.**


	32. Lace

_Author's Notes: NejiTen. For theTenten LJ Community._

**Lace**

There's snow in her hair, like stars of fine lace, and blood on her cheeks. She notices neither.

They're standing by the sea, on a beach that is little more than rock and brittle driftwood. Frost covers everything, even her breath as she breathes, tiny puffs of air crystallizing in sweet reassurance that, yes, she is still alive. Neji turns his head away from her and looks out over the water, feeling the cold start to penetrate his wounds, his bones creaking as he moves. He feels old standing there, listening to the waves break at his feet, his mind empty. It's the calm that falls after a heavy battle, a victory that leaves nothing but corpses and silent snowfalls. The katana in his hand is still crimson and he knows he should clean it but he can't make himself move beyond that small, island of time. They're both alive and, for that instant, that is all that matters.

Tenten buries the point of her blade into the grainy sand and kneels in front of it, both hands clasped around the hilt. It's the only concession she'll make to exhaustion and Neji's eyes flick over her and away again. She looks like some ancient princess, kneeling before naked steel as she awaits the coming of some mysterious sea creature that might bear her to heaven. Instead, there is only cold sea spray and the ice on his wrist guard that she leans over to brush away absently.

Her touch is warm.

He opens his mouth to say they should return but swallows the words when he realizes he doesn't want reality back. So he kneels beside her, his long hair whispering over her arm as they look out to sea and a pale gray afternoon.

For those few moments, they'll hold the moon still in her cloudy sky, together.

**The End**


	33. That Place

_Author's Notes: Team Gai because they always need love. _

**That Place**

There are some memories he finds too precious to contemplate more than necessary. They are blinding in their perfect brilliance, flaring in his mind like the first sparks of a fire. Safe in his self-discipline, they keep their edges like new photographs, smooth and bright as he indulges in nostalgia.

He remembers most clearly the summer spent drinking tea from lemongrass while Lee gave himself heat exhaustion and Tenten lazily waved a fan of waterfalls and goldfish. It is the colors in that scene that draw him out of the dark, reminding him of a time not so very long ago. There is nothing else special about it. Nothing extraordinary happened that day, no blood or tears or biting words. They were simply together, children wavering on the line of early adulthood while june bugs flew patterns around them.

There is a sense of comfort in that, a warm place that occupies the corners of his mind. And as he pulls the falcon mask down over his face, eyes forward but seeing everywhere, he immerses himself in the recollection that there is somewhere he still needs to go.

There is still tea to drink and dry remarks to be made about Lee's skills while Tenten rolls her eyes and mutters about men and boys. There are summers yet to be spent under the sprawl of maple trees with makeshift targets and warm steel.

So he survives to go to that place, to return and see them there, vibrant and clear and very real.

"Welcome back, Neji."

And there is nothing he needs more than a place to rest his wings.

**The End.**


	34. A Demise

_Author's Notes: NejiTen. Tenten's POV._

**A Demise**

There is nothing quite like understanding that your dearest wish is also your greatest downfall. It's a bitter understanding between nature and duty, heart and mind. It's a lonely road you force yourself to walk alone.

And the battle is constant, an everyday war won and lost by careless touches and sidelong looks. You can't tell what the score is and you're not sure you want to know because you hate losing but long for it, knowing it's impossible. There is no room in this life for love, and certainly not for a love that could put others in danger - including yourself.

That thought is a small comfort and not nearly warm enough.

So you soldier on and try to forget what it feels like to be near him, forget those pearl eyes and long hair and winter nights spent huddled together while Lee sleeps. There is duty and honor now, pride of the tattoo stamped on your arm and the cold blade of your katana is your lover now.

And he's still there, right beside you, but you don't let yourself see. If you did, your gaze would fill with nothing but him.

So when he stops you in the twilight, those eyes of his flashing and says, "I'm losing the war," and his fingers brush your wrist, you realize that at least you'll fall together.

A traitor's wish, a hero's demise.

Sometimes, even failure can be a victory.

**The End**


	35. Red in the Morning

_Author's Notes: NejiTen drabble. A little odd, I know. _

**Red in the Morning**

"What is it they say about the red moon?" the hawk asks, tilting it's head. The tiger answers.

"Lunar eclipse."

The hawk shifts; there's an impression of feathers fluttering. "I thought it had something to do with blood being spilt."

The tiger gazes upon the darkened battlefield dispassionately, unhindered by the murky illumination. "That, too." There has certainly been blood spilt. The rising red moon bathes everything in poison, wounds whatever it touches.

The hawk reaches up and pulls back her mask. She's tired. "Are we done here, Neji?"

The tiger nods, hidden by his painted face. "Let's go, Tenten."

His eyes are the only white for miles.

**The End.**


	36. That Boy, Some Secret Gold

_Author's Notes: Spoilers for recent manga chapters in the first one. Both are general character drabbles for a change of pace.  
_

**That Boy**

Sasuke turns his head and suddenly she's there, her fist pulled back, green eyes determined.

She means to hit him, he realizes. And the thought is almost unreal because the Sakura he knew only hit Naruto. The Sakura he knew would never fight _Sasuke-kun_.

_Ah._ Sasuke remembers.

He's not that boy any more.

**The End.**

* * *

**Some Secret Gold**

Kurenai sees gold everywhere. It's a talent, like being able to find four-leaf clovers in a field of green. It blinds her in the morning, as the sun rises through her window. It soothes her at dusk, as the sky turns red and orange. It's in the coins Asuma rolls over the backs of his knuckles when he's bored.

She's finds it, too, in her students as they grow and struggle, fail and fight.

She's proud of them in a way that is almost girlish, halfway caught between the pride of a mother and the enthusiasm of a teenager. She rises and falls with them and then shows them the glint of hope in the corner, that shine that leads them when they have nothing left.

"Everyone has something they treasure, some secret gold they guard," she tells them as they sit quietly in the shade one evening. "That is what you must fight for, yearn for. It will keep you alive when nothing else will."

Kurenai can see gold everywhere.

Except in herself.****

The End.  



	37. Line of Sight

_Author's Notes: Neji, Tenten, Sasuke, and the end.  
_

**Line of Sight**

When red and white finally meet, the air between actually _fizzles_ and Tenten is struck dumb in the crossfire, her vision and hearing gone. It lasts only a second, but her heart actually _stops_ and she opens her mouth to scream when suddenly everything is back and she is stumbling forward, released.

The roar of battle is now almost too loud in her ears as she turns her head to look for him, the world tilting oddly. Neji is close, the veins around his white eyes strained with the effort it's taking to match wills with the red wheels of Sasuke's Sharingan. The Uchiha wants only to reach his brother who is somewhere inside the village walls already, having infiltrated Konoha in the chaos of Sound's invasion. Neji, however, is not about to let a chance to fight Sasuke pass him by.

Everytime their gazes lock, there's a brief, spectacular battle of will and murderous intent before their line of sight is broken by the tides of war. Tenten feels it pass over her, their power, and shudders.

_This is it_, she thinks, cutting the throat of her opponent with a snap of her wrist, _It's going to end today_.

All their years of preparing and the moment was there. It is _now_.

And, gods help them, they're ready.

**End**


	38. Danse de la Mort

_Author's Notes: Themed drabble for LJ's 31days. Neji & Tenten.  
_

**Danse de la Mort  
**

Tenten almost screams when the corpses rise from the ground, and the sound cuts through Neji's mind like a high frequency razor. He pauses and turns almost halfway, catching sight of her from the corner of his eye. She's tangled in her own chakra threads and her eyes are wide as the victims of her fatal dance come for her. He's too far away to make a difference and so he doesn't.

(_They are fourteen._)

Tenten recovers enough to move out of the way of katanas and kunai but her face still wears it's stunned expression. She does not fight back and Neji feels a moment of irritation at her hesitance. (_He's still young and proud and oh so caged._)

"It's only a jutsu," he calls to her tightly, "They are not alive." (_Kill them._)

His annoyance is smoothed when she follows his unspoken command and stops retreating. Her teeth clench, a brief flash of white, and then blood falls again.

He doesn't notice it then, but later he sees the tear tracks on her face and reads the hopeless anger in her features. (_She is only fourteen._) Surprisingly, he is not upset. It is only right to honor the dead and the slain.

So he again says nothing, only offers her a fallen machete from one of her own scrolls. She takes it from him, a bit more forcefully than usual (_she's still young and proud and much too kind_) but that too is right.

"This is the first," he says into the heavy silence and she understands. (_The first battleground, the first fight, the first death._) They've been trained for this, to this life. It is theirs.

This time, it is Tenten who says nothing.

**End**. 


	39. And The Woman Said Unto The Serpent

Author's Notes: Tenten has a phobia. Features childhood flashbacks and a slightly erotic description of Orochimaru's tongue.

**And the Woman Said Unto the Serpent**

"Snakes."

"There are no snakes in there, Tenten."

"Oh yes there are! They're just hiding under the water so you can't seem them." She moves sideways, a prancing step. "I don't want to get bit."

"You can't get bit, there aren't any snakes." Neji's voice is matter-of-fact for a nine year old and he's looking at the water with a concentration so terrible, she almost believes him. Almost.

"Lee saw one yesterday," she reminds him, as he moves closer to the water. She does not follow. She is still years away from becoming his loyal, steel-edged shadow and feels no need to guard his back. If he gets bit, it's his own fault.

"Lee is an idiot," he remarks, apparently feeling no need to elaborate as he crouches down on the bank, touches a finger to the water. The surface ripples outward and she watches the rings move away, watches Neji's long hair fall over his shoulder.

"That doesn't mean he didn't see a snake," she points out. She's pressing the issue, she knows it, but she can't help herself. She has nightmares about pythons under her bed. Her father thinks it's amusing, her mother doesn't and neither does Tenten. She hates waking with the phantom feel of squeezing coils around her waist.

Neji rises from the river, no longer interested.

"Let's go train," he offers instead, and despite the heat, Tenten agrees.

* * *

Orochimaru is the accumulation of years of dread.

Everything about him screams _snake in the grass_ and she feels slimy just looking at him. There's a poison in him to rival any cobra and she has the urge to unsheathe her katana and cleave his head from his shoulders as one would kill a snake too dangerous to live. The thought makes her stomach turn and her head ache.

It gets worse when he dodges an assault from Gai and his tongue slips from his mouth like a serpent and wraps around her right arm, halting her sword inches from his neck.

She wants very, _very_ badly to scream. She can feel it rising in her throat and clenches it tightly between her teeth, refusing to show her revulsion in front of her teammates.

She dreams about that moment later though, long after the battle is finished, only Orochimaru's tongue keeps going, sliding down between her breasts, over her hips, looping around her thighs until she can't move, can't breathe. Hot saliva burns into her skin and she wakes screaming, wild-eyed with terror and the urge to check under her bed.

If she's lucky, she'll be alone in her room with no one to witness her fear. If not, Neji or Lee will be there, too late to interrupt her nightmare but just in time to see the results. Lee is concerned and motherly, but Neji is always silent.

He remembers the river and the summer she stopped swimming in it.

* * *

She's a guest speaker at the Academy when the children find a snake near the building. It's a small, green thing, and harmless. Her bones are tight with the strain but she let's them play with it, hearing their laughter as it winds gently through their fingers. A few of the boys soon get bored, however, and get too rough. Tenten finds herself rescuing the animal before its crushed and letting it go in the tall grass behind the school. It slithers off and she sits there a long time, until Neji finds her and stops near her shoulder.

"You know," she says to his silent question, "not all snakes are bad."

He takes this in stride. "Neither are people," he answers.

* * *

The next day, she swims.

**END.**


	40. The Wrong Side

_Author's Notes: It's about time I did some SasuSaku. Spoilers for current manga chapters. Written as a request from LJ._**  
**

**  
The Wrong Side**

Sakura thinks there is still a chance. Even with a whirlwind of knives and techniques around her, she still believes they'll win. They'll capture Sasuke _(because you can't say goodbye to childhood)_ and they'll defeat Itachi and everything will be alright again. They'll be together. They'll be a _team_.

The word hurts, like a barely closed wound, and she wonders why because it's been three years and they've all replaced each other.

She recognizes Sasuke's new companions from their brief altercations in the past, from the glossy photos in their files, but their meeting here, on that field, makes Sakura's spine stiffen.

"Sasuke," she says _(and it's more like your inner self and not your true self)_, "you're standing on the wrong side."

His teammates smirk or laugh, amused that she is talking while all around her people are fighting and dying. They falter, though, when they see that Sasuke is not smirking, not laughing. He's staring straight at her and it's almost like there isn't already blood on his clothes.

"No," he replies, his voice as clear and cool as river glass _(and you splinter a bit from the pressure)_, "you are."

**End.**


	41. Let Go Now

Author's Notes: Another request from LJ. NejiTen.

**Let Go Now**

"Let go," he says.

She shakes her head stiffly, fingers clenched on the top of the book case, the tips of her feet balanced on one of the shelves. One of the boys has played a trick on her and run off with the ladder, leaving her stranded on a wall of books. She's not afraid of heights, it's just... It's so _high_. And Iruka-sensei is going to scold her for being late, even if she does come back with a history on sword folding.

"Let go," he repeats and she can tell he's getting impatient, his white eyes narrowing just a bit.

She gets annoyed right back. "You don't even have your arms out," she says pointedly over her shoulder. Neji huffs quietly, a very put-upon ten-year-old.

"Why should I if you're not going to jump?"

She wrinkles her nose at him but he can't see it as she's facing the book case. (Years from now, there won't be anything she can hide from him.)

"I am _so_ going to jump. I just..." She shifts her feet a little. "I just..."

Below her, Neji lifts his arms.

"Let go," he says again, quietly.

And she does.

**END.**

**  
**


	42. Don't Forget the Lock

_Author's Notes: NejiTen and NaruHina. Felt like writing something light-hearted for a change. _

**Don't Forget the Lock**

Tenten opens the door, takes one look inside, and closes it again.

"Let's try the next one," she says evenly, her face very carefully revealing nothing. Neji's eyebrow quirks.

"Why?" he asks, reaching past her for the knob, obviously wanting to see for himself. Her hand snaps out and closes around his wrist, halting him. He blinks. She smiles.

"Neji," she says, pointedly moving closer, her free hand rising to lightly brush his long hair. She looks at him through long lashes and it's no accident when her chest brushes his. She hears him swallow audibly. "I like the one on the end better. It's a little more private, don't you think? Less interruptions?" She punctuates this by leaning up to trace her lips along his jaw, her fingers dipping beneath the collar of his formal gi.

Neji's breath quickens. His hand falls away from the door.

"Everyone's still at the festival," she murmurs, the ornaments in her hair tinkling merrily. Neji's palm comes to rest on the curve of her waist, the silk of her kimono wrinkling.

"Everyone except for us," he agrees, and he leans into her a little, her arm moving around her, "and whoever it is that you don't want me to see."

He pushes the door open but the smug look on Neji's face is drained in an instant. Tenten closes her eyes briefly and hopes there isn't too much bloodshed. She really likes her dress.

"Hinata-sama... and... _Naruto_?"

Neji is honestly surprised and so are the two on the couch. They fumble upright, Hinata rearranging clothing, her face a bright shade of red. Naruto moves more slowly but his face is the guiltiest thing Tenten's seen in awhile, and she's seen quite a few things. He's keeping quiet though, a wise choice when one is discovered making out with the Hyuuga heir, and by her cousin no less.

"N...Neji-nii-san, it... it's not what it looks like!"

Tenten shakes her head sadly. It's really very tragic. Naruto is much too young to die.

Neji doesn't seem to think so.

He moves into the room, a tall, regal figure as dark as a thundercloud. She follows, moving out of the doorframe so Naruto can make a run for it. Of course, that's what he _should_ do, but that only means he'll do no such thing. Naruto is, if nothing else, predictably unpredictable.

"Neji," she says quietly, injecting as much reason as possible into her voice. "Let's just go. They're teenagers-"

Naruto cuts her off. "We're not children," he says, and his expression is rather serious. It's a little disconcerting. "Hinata and I talked. We're not going to do anything stupid."

Neji's eyes are narrowing. Not a good sign. _Any_ eye movement is bad, really. "What do you call taking Hinata-sama to a private room and _leaving the door unlocked_? If I had wanted to kill either of you, I could have done it before you even noticed I was here."

Hinata and Naruto both relax slightly at this. Tenten supposes Neji talking about murder in the hypothetical way is encouraging.

Meanwhile, Naruto is having an epiphany. "Wait a minute, you're upset about the lock? So it's alright for me to take Hinata to a hotel?"

Neji's pale complexion clouds and Tenten grabs his arm, pulling him back towards the hallway. "Alright, we're leaving now. You two kids be good!" She flashes them a strained smile and slams the door closed, immediately on the receiving end of Neji's glare.

"You knew about this," he accuses.

"I did not! Well, not until I stuck my head in there and saw them." She pointed a finger at him. "But it hasn't exactly been a secret that Hinata likes Naruto, so why shouldn't they be together? May I remind you that _we_ are at a hotel?"

His mouth compresses briefly. "That's different."

"Oh really?"

He turns his head in a pouty sort of way. "Yes."

She slides up to him again and lays a sweet kiss on his cheek. "You know, Neji, sometimes you think too much." She turns and starts down the corridor, swirling the room key around her finger jauntily. "I guess I'm going to have to go to bed alone then, if you're going to stand there and-"

He plucks the key from her deftly and opens the door for her when they reach it.

She smiles and calls over her shoulder.

"Don't forget the lock."

**The End**


	43. The Consequences of Waking

_Author's Notes: Kunoichi power, guys. Oh yeah. Slight hints of NejiTen. Team Gai and what's left of Team 7._

**THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAKING**

"Here," a low voice said, "You look like you could use this."

Sakura lifted her head to find Tenten at her shoulder, a glass of amber liquid in her hand. Sakura offered a wane smile and took the drink, putting both hands around it as Tenten sat down awkwardly on the edge of the porch next to her, stretching out her bandaged leg. Sakura nodded at her companion's wound.

"How is that feeling?"

Tenten's mouth quirked. "Wonderful since you gave me those pain killers." She shrugged in the next instant, dismissing it. "It's nothing compared to Lee."

Sakura looked away, out over the empty village streets. It had rained earlier and the puddles were filled with dark water. "He will be better with some rest," she said quietly. "As long as there is no infection, it will heal quickly."

"Lee and rest don't have a very good relationship," Tenten murmured. The kunoichi took a drink from her own glass and silence fell, comfortable and easy. Sakura had never spent much time with Konoha's weapons mistress but she found the other girl's even temper to be soothing. When Sakura had arrived a few hours ago, Tenten had been pressing a bed sheet to the stab wound in Lee's abdomen, her right leg bleeding all over the floor boards. She'd cared nothing for herself, worried only for Lee's hurts, his blood over her hands and arms.

It was a scene Sakura knew she would see in her dreams that night, if she slept at all.

They were in a small village on the edge of Fire Country, where the weather was still mild of an evening. Sakura and Naruto had been returning from a mission of their own when a genin had intercepted them, telling them they were needed, that a fellow team had been ambushed. It had been to her surprise that the team turned out to be Gai's.

"Do you think…" Sakura paused hesitantly, wondering if she should even ask. "Do you think they found…?

Tenten's expression flattened. "I don't know." She set her glass down and leaned back on her hands, shifting her right leg a little. "Not much escapes Neji's eyes."

Sakura nodded. The ninja who had attacked Neji, Tenten, and Lee had done so because the three had been escorting a young boy – Ryujin, she thought – to the authorities. He had witnessed the murder of a prominent official and had been ready to name the killer. Team Gai had been ambushed, Lee stabbed in the side by a katana, and the boy… Sakura closed her eyes briefly. The boy had been sliced from neck to navel. Even if she had been there when it'd happened, nothing could have saved his life.

Tenten had managed to get Lee to a nearby inn and send word to Konoha. Neji had gone after the retreating killers. Team Gai had dispatched three of the enemy shinobi but Tenten said they were attacked by six. After hearing that, Naruto had followed after Neji, leaving Sakura to tend to Lee and Tenten.

It had been four hours since they'd left and Sakura was beginning to realize that Neji had not gone after the other shinobi to bring them to justice. He was going to kill them. They had injured his teammates and killed their charge. No, those ninja would die, suffocating from lack of chakra or with a deceptively gentle palm to their heart.

Whether Naruto knew this as well was debatable.

"Revenge," Sakura said softly, not without a trace of bitterness. "Is it our only choice?"

She felt Tenten glance at her, not perturbed or angry at her question but resolute in her own answer. "It's never the _only_ choice," she replied, "but sometimes it is all that keeps us from breaking apart." Sakura started at that and Tenten smiled, seeming old beyond her years. "We are shinobi, for us the answers are never simple. We have power and strength and knowledge, so the consequences of our actions are heavier than those of an ordinary person. Gai-sensei once told me that revenge can be a tool of peace." Tenten paused, looked up at the stars above the rooftops. "It can also destroy and no matter how it is used, once it has begun, it can never end."

Sakura exhaled tiredly and took a drink, discovering it wasn't alcohol but cider.

"Do you think Neji is too harsh to kill those men? That taking revenge for the boy they slaughtered would be wrong?" Tenten asked after a moment. Strangely enough, she did not wait for an answer. "Because I believe that anyone who murders an unarmed child deserves death, and if this leg could hold me I'd be out there by his side, even now."

Sakura pressed the cool of the glass in her hand against her cheek. "No," she said at last, "I don't think revenge is wrong, just… sad."

Tenten made a sound in her throat and when Sakura finally looked over at her, the dark-haired kunoichi's eyes were suspiciously bright.

"Me, too," Tenten whispered.

They sat that way for awhile, friends in the dark, until Neji appeared at the end of the street, walking with the gait of a man who had pushed himself beyond exhaustion. Tenten pushed herself up at the sight of him, wincing as she hobbled to the nearest railing and then down off the single step. Sakura rose as well, anxious as Tenten started to limp across the yard. Once, Sakura might have admonished her to wait, but not that night. Not when teammates were involved.

Amazingly, Neji quickened his pace when he saw her painfully making her way towards him and took her elbow when he finally reached her side, steadying her. Sakura followed more slowly, giving them a moment. As she approached, she heard Tenten speaking quietly.

"…sleeping now but the bleeding has stopped and Sakura says he should be alright."

Neji was still gripping her arm. "Your leg…"

Tenten shook her head. "It's not serious. Some muscle damage. Sakura healed the worst of it." She lifted her hand, brushing Neji's temple lightly. Her fingers came away dark with blood. "You're hurt."

"It's nothing. I—"

"I will be the judge of that, Hyuuga Neji," Sakura interrupted. He turned his sharp, white gaze on her and she held it firmly. "If you would both go inside, I will be with you in a moment."

Tenten and Neji exchanged glances but did as she bid, both of them holding each other up as they entered the inn. Sakura turned her own gaze to the end of the street and felt a wave of relief crest over her as she saw Naruto following in Neji's wake. He smiled wearily as he neared, still the same Naruto.

Her last remaining teammate.

And in that instant she understood why some ninja chose revenge. _(Oh, Sasuke.)_ They had looked down that long street as well but no familiar, beloved shape had been there to greet them.

**THE END**


	44. A Tree Full of Fortunes

_Notes: Another drabble. NejiTen, Team Gai centric. Spoilers for recent manga chapters._**  
**

**A TREE FULL OF FORTUNES**

Tenten is on watch high up in the barrel-like branches of an ancient oak, holding the transparent strings to a hundred kunai in her hand as she gazes at the world below. Her teammates are asleep, their unfamiliar silhouettes darker than the surrounding shadows. She finds Choza's round shape in the black but it's the only one she recognizes, the others rolled up in their sleeping bags are faceless to her.

Bells peal in the distance.

She turns her head, looking out over the tree tops to the hidden temple, listening to the rolling, majestic tones. Another year is gone and a new one is on its way. At that moment, she cannot feel any hope for it. The Fourth Great War has begun and though she is surrounded by her new division, she is alone.

She wonders where they are, whether Lee has remembered to eat his noodles, if Neji will meditate until the new sunrise. In years past they'd done these things together, with their friends, but not this year. This year the bells ring without them, but in her mind, Tenten says a prayer for all of them – for Lee, that his impetuous youth would keep him alive, - for Neji, that someone would be there to watch his blind spot now that she could not, - and for Gai, that she would see him again.

Slowly, she unwinds one of her buns and ties the long ribbon to the nearest branch, letting the ends flutter lazily in the night breeze. _Lee_. She looses the second ribbon from her hair and feels the dark waves ripple down her back as she ties it next to the first. _Gai_. She hesitates for a moment and then tears the third ribbon from the roll of bandages she carries with her. It drifts on the wind as she ties it to the branch as well, dancing whitely in the dark. Suiting, she thinks. _Neji_.

"Happy New Year," she murmurs.

She does not tie one for herself and minutes later she changes position to the south side of the camp where she can no longer hear the bells, but somewhere, miles away, a gray-eyed boy stops to take the single tie from his long hair and fasten it carefully amongst the wispy branches of a willow tree where he knows it will see the first dawn of a new year.

_Tenten_.

**END.**


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